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  • Bill to strip President, governors’ powers to proclaim new N/Assembly, state legislatures passes second reading

    Bill to strip President, governors’ powers to proclaim new N/Assembly, state legislatures passes second reading

    • Reps also okay state police proposed law, 37 others

    A bill to strip the President and governors of power to proclaim a new session of the National and state Houses of Assembly was among  39 proposed laws that scaled second reading in the House of Representatives yesterday.

    The 1999 Constitution confers powers on the President and the governors to issue proclamations to be read by the Clerks of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly before the inauguration of new lawmakers for legislative activities.

    Without such proclamation, no Assembly will function and no President or governor would operate constitutionally in the absence legislative arm of government.

    Another major bill that passed the process without a debate by the  House members is seeking a reform of the nation’s electoral system to ensure among others,  that all litigations ended before the inauguration of election winners.

    Others include those seeking the creation of state police and special legislative seats for Persons With Disability (PWD)  as well as  Special interest groups.

     Leader of the House, Julius Ihonvbere, asked for the suspension of the House rules to take the second reading of the bills together. There was no objection.

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    This was after Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who presided asked Ihonvbere to do so.

    The bills were segmented into six—13 on electoral matters, 10 on judicial reform, seven on Legislature, three on inclusive governance, one on security and five others. 

    One of the bills sponsored by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen seeks an amendment to the 1999 Constitution to make the recommendations of the National Judicial Council(NJC) mandatory for the removal of the head of a court either by the President or a governor.

    There is also a proposed law that seeks an establishment of an Ecclesiastical Court of Appeal for the Federation,   the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory(FCT)  as well as another for the Court of Appeal to be the final court for governorship and legislative elections.

    Other bills on electoral reforms want provision for the regulation of election timelines by the Electoral Act and a provision for members of parliament wishing to defect to first resign from their political party. 

    They also seek to alter the constitution to extend the original jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal to include election petitions arising from the governorship and deputy governorship polls.

    Part of the bill also seeks to give the National Assembly power to alter timelines for election tribunals and compulsory resignation of National and State Executive members of political parties seeking elective positions.

     In addition, the bills want an amendment to the constitution for presidential, governorship,  National and House of Assembly polls to be conducted simultaneously on the same day determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in consultation with the National Assembly.

  • Bill to strip President, Govs power to proclaim new Assembly, 38 others scale second reading

    Bill to strip President, Govs power to proclaim new Assembly, 38 others scale second reading

    A bill to strip the President and Governors of the power to proclaim a new session of the National and State Houses of Assembly is among the 39 bills that scaled the second reading in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. 

    The bills also include several bills to reform the electoral system and ensure among others that litigations arising from the conduct of elections are dispensed off before the swearing in. 

    The bills were read for second time without the usual debate associated with such process as the Leader of the House asked for the suspension of the House rules to take the second reading together. 

    Deputy Speaker of the House, Benjamin Kalu who presided over plenary asked the House Leader to move food the suspension of the House rules to allow the bills to be read together for the second time. 

    The bills were segmented into six including Judicial Reform (10 bills), legislature (7 bills), inclusive governance (3 bills), security (1 bill), Electoral matters (13 bills) and others (5 bills). 

    Some of the bills include amending the Constitution to make the recommendations of the National Judicial Council mandatory for the removal from office heads of Nigerian courts, to establish Ecclesiastical court of Appeal for the Federation as well as the states and the FCT as well as making the Court of Appeal the final court for Governorship and Legislative elections. 

    The law states that such Heads of Court shall only be removed from office upon prior investigation by the National Judicial Council of the allegations laid out in the address by Senate or the state legislatures respectively carried out and concluded within six (6) weeks in line with the Supreme Court judgment in Elelu-Habeeb  & Anor. v. A-G of the Federation & 2 Ors. (2012) 13 N.W.L.R. (Pt. 1318) 423

    The bill sponsored by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen said the obvious challenges with the provisions of three law is that thee procedure laid down clearly does not include a role for the National Judicial Council in the removal of these heads of courts, while section 292(1)(b) anomalously provides that in every other case outside the removal of the heads of courts, the recommendation of the National Judicial Council shall be a requirement to carry such removal through.

    He said implications of the law is that it left the heads of courts exclusively at the mercy of the President and the Governors and the Federal and State legislatures respectively as the case may be without the participation of the National Judicial Council. 

    The bills passed for second reading aimed to amend the constitution to provide for the regulation of election timelines by the electoral act, as well as making it mandatory for members of paliament wishing to defect to first resign from their political party before defecting. 

    The bills also seek to alter the constitution to extend the original jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal to include election petitions arising from governorship and deputy governorship election as well as tenure of office of governor and deputy governors of States. 

    Part of the bills also seek to allow the National Assembly power to alter timelines for election tribunals, while seeking the compulsory resignation of National and State Executive members of political parties seeking elective positions. 

    In addition, the bills seek to amend the constitution to provide for the conduct of the Presidential, governorship and legislative elections at all levels as well as local government council elections simultaneously on the same date to be determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in consultation with the National Assembly. 

    Also a month the bills passed which has been referred to the constitutional amendment committee is a bill seeking to alter the constitution to ensure that all appeals arising from election petition tribunals are determined before swearing in of all elected officials at the state and Federal level. 

    Among the bills is the bill that seeks to alter the constitution to provide for the establishment of a National Local Government Electoral Commission as an independent body responsible for organising, conducting and supervising elections into the offices of chairmen and councillors of local government and the Area councils of the FCT to ensure credibility, transparency qbs fairness. 

    The bills to establish LG Electoral Commission is sponsored by Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu.

    He said when established, the Commission, will ensure the credibility, transparency, and fairness of local government elections and promote democratic governance at the grassroots level and will be made of a Chairman and 37 other members representing 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

    It also states that the Chairman, who shall be the Chief Electoral Officer, and members of the Board shall be appointed by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on the recommendation of the National Council of States and subject to the confirmation of the Senate.

    The Commission is expected to provide periodic reports on its activities and the outcomes of local government elections to the President, the National Assembly, and the general public, thereby promoting transparency and accountability in its operations.

    Read Also: House passes 39 bills for second reading in one move

    Also at the plenary, the Lawmakers passed through second reading, a Bill for an Act to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, to specify the time within which the executive shall present to the National Assembly, any Treaty between the Federation and any other country for enactment.

    The proposed legislation also sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Kalu, states that any such treaty shall be presented to the National Assembly for enactment not later than 180 days thereafter.  

    Also among the bills is the bill that seeks to provide for the establishment of state and local government police as well as allow public servants to engage in healthcare education, production and services beyond farming as well as the law that seeks constitutional amendment to recognise and develop the six geo political zones. 

    On inclusive governance, the bills seeks to alter the Constitution to provide six special seats for special interest groups in the House of Representatives as well as special seats for the physically challenged persons in the federal, state and local government legislative houses as well as gender equality in the composition of the federal character commission. 

    Another hill seeks to take the power of proclamation of the National and state Assembly away from the President and Governors and confer same on the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the various states, while also specifying time within which the Executive shall present to the National Assembly any treaty between the federation and other countries for enactment. 

  • Benefits of cooperatives for members, by President

    Benefits of cooperatives for members, by President

    The President of Eko – Akete (Mainland) Cooperative Multipurpose Society Ltd, Zachius Mobolaji, has highlighted the benefits of the cooperative to members,stressing that they have been able to tap into it to meet their urgent and pressing financial needs.

    He spoke at the society’s Annual General Meeting which was well attended by members.

    Mobolaji said the society started with thirty three members 62 years ago, and since then  the membership of the society has grown to over 13,000  with members from various ministries, ,parastatals and agencies of government.

     The president said the leadership of the society, particularly the founding members did not allow ethnic sentiments in the choice of the managers of the people’s funds.

    He said the transparency exhibited by leaders has kept the society going and at no time did they contemplate investing  members’ money on pool betting  or gambling.

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    Mobolaji urged Nigerians, particularly Lagosians to join the group because of professionalism exhibited in the management of the members funds in the last 62 years.

    He used urged investors to take advantage of the housing estate by partnering with the society to build houses on the land the society has bought through Build Operate and Transfer in Badagry, Ikorodu and Epe axis of Lagos State.

    The President explained that members can benefit from loans to pay their children school fees, house rent, children’s wedding, medical bills, housing and property acquisition, among others .

  • Mr President, I disagree!!! (1)

    Mr President, I disagree!!! (1)

    I am one of those who supported President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a number of reasons and one of these reasons was due to his stand on restructuring. Of all the major candidates, President Tinubu had talked and walked restructuring, particularly whilst serving as Governor of Lagos State.

    Sadly, it appears that the President is engaging in a “forbacki” dance on the topic of restructuring, on one hand, he has danced forward on the subject as seen in the recent Supreme Court judgement granting financial autonomy to the local government system in Nigeria, but on the other hand he has much dragged his feet on effecting a thorough restructuring of the nation, which can be achieved via the formation and drafting of a People’s Constitution.

    This prompted me to pen the article with the title ‘ Will President Tinubu Restructure Nigeria’ sometime in February this year in which my pen declared :

    “President Tinubu and his handlers must therefore heed the call by numerous persons calling for restructuring, some of these voices have served as voices of conscience for the nation and did not just wake up now to call for such. He must heed such calls as posterity would much be grateful to him for such an act!”

    I was thus saddened when I watched the same man who had staked so much for a restructured Nigeria tell a group of eminent Nigerians who under the auspices of The Patriots has called on the President to kick start the process for the promulgation of a new constitution which would be crafted out by a Constituent Assembly, that he was busy with the economic restructuring of Nigeria and that he wouldn’t tinker with the idea of a new constitution until he was done with the economic restructuring!

     Truth be told without mincing words, the president’s statement put in abeyance the hopes that this administration was very much likely to restructure Nigeria or at least kickstart the process at an early stage of his administration.

    Read Also: Police re-invite NLC Chief Ajaero for questioning

    His talk, that he is much focused on the economic programmes and perhaps sees the talk of a new constitution as some form of distraction which ought not to be; first of all, we do not know when the economic reforms will begin to bear fruit as we have seen where economic programmes and its dividends took time to mature, sometimes outliving the tenures of these leaders. Second, there is nothing esoteric about the attempts to fashion a new constitution, coming at a point in time that more Nigerians have joined the fray of those calling for such alongside with the numerous clamoring for the splitting of the nation into mini republics, the time for a new constitution  is now. Like President Abraham Lincoln response of “Now! Now!! Now!!!” was when asked why he was keen on getting the votes for the abolition of slavery amendment from the Congress in which he faced a possible loss, whereas he could rely on his Emancipation of Slavery Proclamation as an all time measure even after the war, President Tinubu should understand that the nation is already suffering much from its failure to restructure and that numerous dangers await it further should it fail to pull itself from the brink. Did previous administrations not seek out political reforms whilst in the process of hammering out economic reforms? Did the Murtala administration not juggle both? Did the Babaginda administration not tinker with the Structural Adjustment Programme and other economic ideas of his whilst carrying out his political experiments which saw him establish the Nigerian Political Bureau of 1986, which debated on the political future of Nigeria and led to it fashioning a report which was debated by the Constitution Review Committee and the Constituent Assembly which then birthed the 1989 Constitution and produced a near seamless transition before that own goal of annulling the June 12 elections.

    President Tinubu should know that his call for a new Nigeria, one where the Renewed Hope Agenda of his is expected to usher the nation unto greatness cannot work without the question of the nation’s restructuring, he ought to come to terms with the proposal of the Patriots for a new constitution stems from a desire to better address the multifaceted challenges facing Nigeria. Yes, the New Constitution may not entirely end the nation’s woes, thought must also be given to the strengthening of institutional frameworks too, but then let us begin with the search for such a constitution from which we could clamber out of the morass the nation has found herself in for ages.

  • Seven policy review actions the President must take

    Seven policy review actions the President must take

    • By Gbenga Adeoye

    It is important to state that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is known for making men. Those close to him confirmed that he does not say no to requests for help. He is said to be a giver; perhaps he learnt that from Chief M.K.O Abiola.

    Clearly, he has had his eyes on the seat he occupies today for over 30 years. He worked towards it with all his energy and he built bridges all over the country to achieve that aim.

    That implied preparation and building of bridges across the country is not cheap at all. You need money and time. Emi Lokan slogan (it is my turn slogan) is not just a mere wish. He worked for it over the years. Let no one make mistake about this.

    The implication of the above preamble is that the president has good intentions to make a point that through a Yoruba Man, citizens and the country can get better with abundance, joy and economic boom as expected from Awolowo or MKO if they had become President and of course when OBJ was there Nigeria was great. We know what our people can do. Yes, as a Yoruba man, I Am glad we have such men who understand nation-building. That is who we are though.

    I believe these are his desires and that probably accounts for the RENEWED HOPE AGENDA.

    However, there is a Yoruba proverb that says if we don’t know where we are going, we must know where we are coming from. This going back to where we are coming from is not a sign of weakness but the decision not to go too far in the wrong direction

    Medical practice requires that when advertising drugs, you must add a clause that says, if symptoms persist after two days, consult your doctors. It seems the symptoms have persisted too long in our economy.

    It is time to consult the stakeholders (who are the doctors )so we can jointly take Nigeria out of the current situation.

    Usually, to see the light at the end of the tunnel implies that those who travel under the tunnel will be alive to end the journey and if that assumption fails to be a reality, the light at the end of the tunnel will be of no use to them. 

    Eni ti moto ba gba ko lo ma mu number (Anyone hit by a car is not the one that can describe the car with plate number in evidence). Only those who survived can see the light at the end of the tunnel. That is if there are signs that light exists at the end of our tunnel anyway.

    I therefore suggest a second look at the following policies.

    Danger of naira floating

    Revisit the policy of floating the naira. Currency devaluation is dangerous for any import-dependent nation. Russia tried floating their currency, leaving it for market forces, but they reversed it and today Russia is one of the strongest economies in Europe despite the war with Ukraine.

    Germany once floated their currency and the result was terrible until they fixed same. China once floated their currency and the result was terrible. Today their currency is fixed against the dollar and they are a world power at the rate of about 7RMB to a dollar.

    Exporting countries with a positive balance of trade can devalue their currency against the dollar to attract United States buyers and the world to buy from them. Canada is an example and they will not allow the Canadian Dollar to be stronger than the US dollar because 70 per cent of their exports are sold to the US market…We are not yet there. We should lead all African Countries in terms of currency value.

    Kuwait controls their currency and their currency is stronger than pounds. 1KWD is about $3.279

    In China, $1 exchanges for about 7.16 RMB. The main objective is to sell to the US and the whole world, where the dollar is a means of exchange in most international trade transactions. 

    Read Also: Tinubu appoints new management team for NDPHC

    At that rate, you are in a better position to buy from China even if you are in the USA as your $1M will become over RMB7m.

    The value of a country’s currency has a lot to say about that country. May we not get to the state Zimbabwe was at a time when a bottle of Coke was selling for over ZWL1m. Before it is too late, let us review this policy.

    If the main reason is to stop round-tripping, that can be controlled through technology and close monitoring of the few entities that are qualified for forex.

    We can then invest in technology to ascertain and ensure that forex obtained is used for the purpose it was given. Those involved in round-tripping are not ghosts or spirit. We should deal with them rather than allow Naira to keep falling.

    Subsidy removal

    There is no country without one form of subsidy or the other. Food, energy etc are subsidised in many countries. It is not logical for a producer to pay the same price for a product as those who do not have the same product. Yam is cheap in Benue because they produce a lot of it. Orange is cheap in Benue because they produce a lot of it. The cow is cheaper in the North than in Lagos because they rear them. Ofada Rice and Adire are Cheaper in Abeokuta than other parts of Nigeria because we produce it in my state. We have other minerals on the ground too.

    Therefore, the Federal Tax rate can be used to take back from big entities what the lowest people in the society enjoy in terms of subsidy in Nigeria.

    I know the president truly wants to end the corruption in subsidies but the policy rather than hurt the big companies and all parties involved in subsidy scams, is injurious to the citizens, especially the poor. Prices will continue to rise if we don’t review the policy.

    Those who receive subsidy payments without importing fuel are not spirits, they are not ghosts and as such, it is not beyond the government’s capacity to catch them and ensure subsidy is not paid on fake documents.

    The effort to ensure that subsidised PMS is not smuggled out of the country through the land borders is not beyond the capacity of the government. The Nigerian Customs is capable of achieving it if given the mandate backed with resources. I have seen efficiency and effectiveness in these guys and I know they are capable.

    In 2012, there was a Presidential Committee on Verification and Reconciliation of Fuel Subsidy Payment headed by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede. They identified 21 companies that should refund money to the Federal Government. So, ghosts do not collect subsidy payments with fake papers. Hence, it can be controlled. While we may forget the past issues, we can set new standards now to ensure we do not pay subsidy on exported PMS through land borders.

    Subsidy trust fund

    If the government is unable to reverse the subsidy removal because of the difficulty in blocking the leakages therein, then a Subsidy Trust Fund should be created like PTF for intervention programmes.

    Through this Subsidy Trust Fund, solar power projects can be embarked upon. Interventions such as the creation of ranches and clusters, fertilisers, and farm implements among others can be provided.

    Primary Health Care interventions can be handled from STF. Funding of buses and rail lines. Primary school projects to ensure everyone is in school; especially in the North.

    Interest rate as a major weapon to control inflation

    This is dangerous for business. It will make foreign entities take over all sectors over time. If a Chinese businessman gets loans at say five per cent from China, he will have leverage over a Nigerian who gets the same loan at 30 per cent.

    For example, $1m from China at five per cent will imply that his $1m will become like N1.6b and even with that exchange rate, he will only pay N80,000,000 interest per annum. If a Nigerian gets the same N1.6b, annual interest will be N480,000,000 at 30 per cent.

    Same market, same product, with cost of funds, the Nigerian businessman will be pushed out of business over time. Where would you pass the extra cost of funds to?

    Devaluation of currency and high interest rates is a step in the wrong direction in my considered opinion and the CBN should review this as the signs are not good when businesses owned by Nigerians are compared with those owned by Chinese or other foreigners.

    National security and state policing

    On this, the FGN does not require any admonition. Even the blind and the deaf know no farmer will go to a farm without assurance of security.

    The President and all the Military Chiefs know this and I think the strategy should be to deal with those sponsoring the killers of farmers. More policemen should be recruited and farmers should be assured that they are safe.

    Farm settlements owned by states should be revived and I am glad the FGN is looking at that. Clusters should be created in each local government based on what we can grow in each state.

    Make it a crime for any child in the North and all other parts of the country not to go to school. The recent protest and outcome clearly show direct correlation between uneducated hungry people and violence aimed at looting.

    Most of the people that cause crises or engage in looting with just a little chance like protest and so on are people who do not have good education and means of livelihood.

    State policing should not just be a mere paper discussion, it should be implemented as fast as possible.

    Restructuring for effectiveness

    If there is anyone who understands the benefit of a regional system of Government, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed TINUBU is No 1.

    He was Governor of Lagos State with the mindset of making it a self-sustaining state. Lagos in deed is ahead as a state that can stand alone.

    Most of the states that refuse to think out of the box are unserious because they know their father ( FGN) will give them money monthly. Even though the money has no effect.

    I discovered that most of the states that are serious about IGR in a way invest in development while states without serious IGR do squander or waste what they get from their father (FGN).

    Some people have said that as soon as allocation is released by FAAC to such states: pressure in the forex market increases. Maybe they are right. Like J.F Odunjo said and I quote first in Yoruba; oun ti a ko ba jiya fun ki pe lowo eni (what you don’t work for do not last in your hands.) Let us find a way of rewarding sub nationals that are serious.

    Reform National Orientation Agency

    I see the level of ignorance in people who cut off railings on bridges. I suspect they lack knowledge. Poverty is not the only problem but economic power will solve 80 per cent of the problem.

    National Orientation Agency needs to promote patriotism on radio, motor parks, marketplaces, villages and cities.

    Rejig the cabinet

    Some people have the ambition to add to their CV that they were former ministers. They have achieved that. Time to go home. We can’t allow non-performing guys anymore.

    I think it will not be too good to have people still remaining in the cabinet if they cannot perform, there must be Key

    Performance Index.

    These are the kind of cabinet members that will deceive the president that all is well with all our policies when they are not even adding any value.

    One Major thing I love as a Lawyer and Chartered Accountant is a contract that is based on milestones. If you like, speak all the grammar, you will not get paid if you do not complete each stage as stipulated in the contract.

    To remain as a Minister after every six months, there must be an appraisal of performance known to Nigerians. They must tell us in clear terms what they are doing. I call it Accountability Week -the 1st to 7th of every month. Tell us what happened last month, so we know if we should clap for you or fire you as a minister.

    Conclusion

    It is important to review the above policies if we want different results.

    If need be, let us look around even among the opposition and harvest the best brains to find solutions to our problems

    We can all be sincerely and honestly wrong. What we then have to do is try other means of solving our problems if the methods and policies we are using at the moment are counterproductive.

    Some wicked people want the economy to have problems till 2026 so they can use it to campaign but with or without such people in existence, the President must review current policies as the focus should be citizens first.

    Lastly, there is a Yoruba Proverb that says: Ti ina oba tan lori, eje kii tan leekana.

    It simply could mean that as long as the problem persists, agitation and tension will remain. The symptoms have persisted; we need to see the doctor.

    The drug advert simply means we stop using the drug to take doctor’s advice.

    In medicine, the doctors will tell you negative drug-drug interactions can cause serious problems and that may account for why you did not see changes in your health, and then they tell you to stop the medication and see your doctor.

    I suspect that the interactions between interest rate, Naira Floating and Subsidy removal are not interacting in the best interest of the people and it is never too late to sit down and review. Let’s try something else for 90 days and see the result.

    I love my country and I want the President to succeed, please don’t listen to those people saying all is well sir. Try something different for 90 to 180 days. God bless Nigeria.

    • Dr. Adeoye, a lawyer and chartered accountant, holds a Master’s Degree in International Business Law from the University of London. He holds a PhD in Management Accounting and is an Arbitrator in the UK and Nigeria. He is an advocate of good governance in Africa and Nigeria.

  • Poverty alleviation: President should get it right this time

    Poverty alleviation: President should get it right this time

    • By Zayyad I. Muhammad

    Sir: On Tuesday, August 6, President Bola Tinubu approved the appointment of seven individuals to head strategic agencies and programs under the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development. The agencies and programmes include: the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), the National Social Safety-Net Coordinating Office, the Grant for Vulnerable Groups, the Home-Grown School Feeding programme, the National Cash Transfer Office, and the National Commission for People with Disabilities.

    The president stated that this is part of his administration’s efforts to provide much-needed relief to Nigerians and to ensure the effectiveness of humanitarian and social development programs.

    The most pressing task for President Tinubu now is to appoint a new minister for the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development—someone who can provide the necessary leadership, work seamlessly with the managers of these agencies and programmes, and connect with the people in need of relief, especially during this period of widespread hardship and food scarcity in Nigeria.

    Furthermore, any minister taking over the humanitarian ministry should be aware that some of the ministry’s programmes and schemes have not met people’s expectations, and many of their managers have failed Nigerians. Many Nigerians see the ministry as just a cash cow for politicians, which should not be the case.

    The new minister and their managers should note that direct methods of reaching the poor have often failed to serve the common man. Instead, they should consider indirect methods by leveraging a well-known and respected hybrid public-private partnership. This approach would involve engaging responsible private firms such as investment managers, fintech companies, banks, and other local entities, while making effective use of technology.

    Read Also: Hunger protest: North tolerated too much poverty, corruption – Shettima

    For instance, the country could be segmented into its 360 federal constituencies, with one or two firms assigned to each segment. These firms should be mandated to create a robust and reliable database using people’s NIN, BVN, fingerprints, and phone numbers, including addresses, with a focus on the specific needs and characteristics of each constituency and their local government areas.

    With this approach, the government could establish a central unit, potentially managed by a consortium of private firms on behalf of the government. This method would minimize embezzlement risks, allowing the government to focus on monitoring and ensuring good service delivery. The programmes and schemes could even be designed so that private firms handle the distribution of funds and essential items, while the government verifies and reimburses them.

    This is not a call to completely discard the existing programmes and schemes, but rather to comprehensively remodel and refine them to reflect the reality on the ground, while eliminating inefficiencies, corruption, and unnecessary political interference. Moreover, this is an opportunity for President Tinubu to directly ‘speak’ to young Nigerians who actively participated in the End Bad Governance protest by appointing two ministers to oversee the ministry, one of whom should be a youth.

    •Zayyad I. Muhammad,

    Abuja.

  • Now that the President has spoken

    Now that the President has spoken

    • By Bukola Ajisola

    Sir: There was nothing President Bola Tinubu could have said that will not be politicized by the gladiators waiting in the wings to subject his speech to forensic algorithms.

    If the president had been less dramatic on his day of inauguration and quietly allowed subsidies on petrol to disappear as was intended in the zero budgetary allocation by his predecessor, perhaps the dynamics of the unfortunate protests would have taken a different shape.

    The president is being put on the spot to give another speech to reinstate the egregious subsidy regimes that would offer a temporary relief which I love to call the Venezuelan option.

    The option makes available cheap fossil fuels procured with huge debt financing that is certain to gulp more than a hundred percent of the nation’s treasury including all projected revenues.

    Be that as it may, the silence of the state governors who have received the windfall of their lives owing to the subsidy removal should be of more concern to Nigerians. Lagosians for instance should be more interested in what Lagos governor says about land reforms, lack of which is rendering millions of professionals in the built industry prostrate.

    Lack of potable water in most part of Lagos has made the city a staccato of tunnelling boreholes in the 21St century.

    In the same vein, it may not be out of place to ask what Lagos State has done with one of the largest rice mills in Africa capable of employing almost all the hungry protesters who have taken to the streets.

    A state in the South/South region just spent N850bn on luxury cars not minding the ravaging hunger putting the populace at their wits end.

    Tinubu’s gift of elocution or stage comportment is of lesser consequence to discerning Nigerians who in their millions are caught between the raging mob of rioters, activists ventilating for populism and peaceful protesters who do not understand the dynamics of what has befalling the nation.

    President Tinubu has done his best within his first year in office; there are some of his decisions that could be better enunciated going forward but that is left for future interrogation.

    Read Also: Tinubu: Govt won’t allow those with clear political agenda tear nation apart

    I would rather that the Local Government chairmen and their councillors put Nigerians to speed on their fidelity to budgetary deliverables while putting their efforts to improving social services in the public domain.

    Organizers of the hunger protest as well as well-meaning community leaders should form pressure groups in every local government to compel local authorities to engage Nigerians on regular basis.

    The hardship corollaries are domiciled in the local governments and are exacerbated by the governors’ wasteful spending with their opaque and lack of transparent accounting practices.

    Hopefully the recent Supreme Court’s ruling on local government autonomy would put paid to the unabated recklessness.

    A presidential broadcast to regurgitate the obvious facts of why subsidies cannot be reversed is of no probationary value to the polity at a time the security agents are having difficult time quelling the raging protests.

    However, the president can initiate four urgent interventions which could turn around the economy going forward.

    One is ascertaining that all the comatose refineries are working latest by the end of 2024, secondly more scrutiny of the fiscal responsibility at the subnational level by EFCC and ICPC would be of tremendous importance, implementing a revised Oronsaye Report and lastly ramping up production by recalibrating our steel industry.

    A stitch in time can save nine billion and the next protest could be the last straw.

    •Bukola Ajisola,

    bukymany@yahoo.com

  • President gets kudos for ‘soul winning’ national broadcast

    President gets kudos for ‘soul winning’ national broadcast

    mayor of Urhoboland in Delta State, Eshanakpe Israel a.k.a Akpodoro, has given  President Bola Tinubu kudos for his ‘soul-winning national broadcast,’ which showed his resolve to wrestle Nigeria from those attempting to take the nation back to ‘darker days.’

    Akpodoro, in a statement  in Abuja yesterday, said patriotic Nigerians have heard the President and are happy insurrection of the wicked against Nigeria has been defeated.

    He noted that the President, in his broadcast, was resolute in his stand against the call for removal of oil subsidy which he said had been a clog in the the nation’s progress.

    The President said the protest promoters planned to stampede the administration into suspending the subsidy removal.

    Akpodoro also noted the President’s social-economic stimulus for citizens to palliate the hardship. In his speech, Tinubu listed suspension of tariff on food items; rice and wheat, and pharmaceuticals.

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    The mayor lauded the understanding and patriotism of Niger Delta youths who heeded the call not to participate in the protest.

     “Chief Government Ekpemukpolo a.k.a Tompolo ordered a restraint and dissociated youths and Niger Delta from the protest. I lent credence to that call, advising Urhobo nation and others heed the call in the best interest of our nation. I commend them for showing loyalty, he said.

    The ex-agitator called on the youths to back  the President, noting he’s a visionary leader with the patriotic zeal to renew our hope in his drive to build a virile nation.

    “The President is committed on building a Nigeria with sustainable economic growth where dollar is pegged rather than float to commensurate with global realities, but money changers, currency speculators, economic saboteurs and others are against this.

    Our prayer from Niger Delta is for the President to succeed and we shall succeed,” the Ughelli South Local Government-born mayor prayed.

  • Kudos to Mr President for liberating Nigeria’s 774 LGs

    Kudos to Mr President for liberating Nigeria’s 774 LGs

    Sir: The recent valiant effort by President Bola Tinubu to guarantee autonomy for the 774 local government councils of the country via the Supreme Court is absolutely commendable and offers a ray of hope for addressing enormous challenges facing poor and vulnerable Nigerians at the grassroots level.

    The next challenge is how to strip the governors of the tight grip on the local government councils which they do through manipulated elections which ensures the return of only the candidates of the ruling parties of the states. Through that, the elected chairman is coerced into handing over the funds through the backdoor. There is a need to ensure a constitutional amendment that will return the conduct of council polls to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Anything short of that is akin to unlocking detainees’ handcuffs within their detention camps without releasing them. 

    What is left for Mr President and the National Assembly now is to amend the constitution to transfer the conduct of local government elections from the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) to INEC to ensure that free, fair and credible elections are held.

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    One aligns with the position of the chairman, Senate Services Committee, Senator Sunday Karimi (APC), Kogi West when stated at the weekend that the National Assembly would soon consider the transfer of the responsibility for the conduct of elections to the local councils from the various state electoral bodies to INEC. He added that the next step for the National Assembly is to amend the Electoral Act, 2022 and the 1999 constitution to give an opportunity for credible people to be elected to steer the affairs of the local governments.

    The attainment of the local councils’ autonomy is the long-awaited opportunity to empower the democratically elected chairmen to carry out those developmental projects which would revive rural communities and impact the lives of the rural people positively.

    President Tinubu has left an indelible legacy for the country and written his name in golden letters by this development. Given that the attainment of the full autonomy for the local governments will positively change the nation’s narrative at the grassroots, Mr President should spare no effort to ensure that the elections at that level are handed over to the INEC in order to whittle down the untoward influence of state governors over them.

    •Mustapha Baba,Azare, Bauchi State.

  • Time is of the essence, Mr. President

    Time is of the essence, Mr. President

    Sir: The pace at which the Tinubu-led government is moving to implement key proposed policies has been slow. Painfully slow. It seems the government is out of touch with the people’s frustrations. If they truly understood the public sentiment, they would recognize the growing impatience.

    The time for endless talk is over; people need to see action. The delayed decision-making on critical facets will have dire consequences if care is not taken.

    Take, for instance, the tax policy recommendations led by Taiwo Oyedele’s tax team. In October 2023, the committee came up with “20 recommendations for immediate reforms”-it’s been crickets since then!

    This committee was established almost a year ago to deliver actionable recommendations that would simplify tax compliance, reduce tax burden on businesses and boost economic growth. Today nothing concrete has been gazetted. There have only been sporadic updates.  Despite the urgency and high expectations that surrounded this initiative, the progress has been sluggish.

    What about the proposed new minimum wage? Has it fallen off the radar? Labour has expressed their frustrations, but now there’s silence. Is the government waiting for another strike, followed by more unproductive meetings? This cycle of strike-meeting-silence is becoming cliché.  This gives the perception that neither side prioritizes the well-being of workers

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    Then there’s the consumer credit scheme. It seems policies are proposed, then there’s a lot of talk, and then silence. Last we heard, it was approved, but what are the next steps? How many people have applied? When will people start accessing credit to improve their standard of living? The government’s lack of urgency is damning. They seem to think they have all the time in the world, but a year has already passed.

    Consider agriculture as another example. The president declared a state of emergency on food shortages almost a year ago, yet there has been no coordinated response. There seems to be no concrete plans to improve food production or security. What is being done to reassess the food supply and distribution channels? What is the update on the touted commodity board to stabilize food prices? What are the plans to promote sustainable farming methods and enhance local farmers’ capabilities? The declared emergency seems to have lost its urgency. The emergency is no longer emergency-ing to borrow the street parlance.

    How many ministers are even active in this government? The answer, unfortunately, reveals a stark reality: only a handful can be identified as consistently contributing to their mandates. There is a concerning trend of inefficiency and inaction by numerous ministers which undermines this government’s ability to deliver on its promises. It seems there are many loafers, and it’s time for the president to wield the big stick, lest widespread complacency erode public trust in this administration’s ability to govern efficiently.

    The business of governance needs to commence in earnest. The honeymoon period is over, and Nigerians want visible actions.

    President Tinubu needs to understand that the situation on the streets is dire, and time is running out. One year has passed, and all we’ve seen is huffing, puffing, bickering, and inaction.

    It’s time to deliver on the promises that convinced some of us to vote for him based on his track record. Action, please!

    •Chiechefulam Ikebuiro,chiechefulamikebuiro@gmail.com